Dale's Medical Expenses
Donation protected
Updated Story:
Our Dad is a wonderful man, always willing to lend a hand, works hard and cares deeply for many. Known to many children (his grandkids or not) as Grandpa Dale. He is the sneaker of snacks, giver of tractor & ranger riders, expert pusher on the swings, and a wonderfully sweet man who we love so much.
Sunday June 3rd while our dad was out working around the farm we noticed significant difficulty with his speaking. This prompted a visit to the ER worried about a stroke. The head CT results showed a large mass (the size of a lemon) in his left parietal lobe. He was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. After the MRI and workup, he had a tough decision ahead of him. The recommendation was a very risky and aggressive debulking surgery, which would likely be followed by chemo and radiation. Due to the location of the masses (the MRI revealed another small mass-the size of a large grape) within the parietal lobe, he had a 30% chance of not being able to speak or walk following surgery.
Friday June 8th. The big day! Our dad decided to go ahead with surgery. He went into surgery around 8am. We waited at the hospital with hourly updates from his Neurosurgery team. His surgery was expected to take 5-6 hours if all went well. When we received our final update earlier than expected around 12:30, we became worried- what did this mean, why was the surgery quicker then planned? We should have known better, our dad is a stubborn old farmer. We were able to go see him in the early afternoon. As we were walking back we could here him talking - - -THE BEST SOUND EVER- - -!
Friday June 15th, we were given the final pathology results. Our dad has a cancerous Grade 4 Glioma, better known as a GBM. This tumor is very aggressive, therefore; it isn't curable but IS treatable. A GBM tumor can be removed with surgery, but it has probably already sent out sneaky little fingers into the healthy brain tissue. Which requires further treatment with 40-60 Gy of daily radiation treatments and Temozolomide (pill-form) chemotherapy. These treatments will make him fatigued and possibly cause some nausea. In addition, there can be some cognitive changes like memory-loss.
As we've been told, researchers are spending a lot of time learning about brain tumors. Our dad will have the opportunity to use a new type of treatment further down the road. It seems very sci-fi! Optune is a electric-field cap worn 18 hours a day. This is so new we had to google-it : Optune by Novacure, if you want to learn more.
He is expected to spend about 10 days at St. Mary's in the rehab unit. During this time he will receive extensive Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy. He will likely need a walker to get around for the time being. He needs our patience as he still has difficulty finding words. Walking and talking are great therapy for him- so keep calling and visiting!
We are expecting his insurance to only pay about 50% of his medical bills, thus far. Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy are long, expensive treatments as well. He appreciates all of the help we have received, whether in the form of visitors, farm help or financial. Please continue to pray for him!
We appreciate anything you can do to help!
~Sarah and Rachel
Our Dad is a wonderful man, always willing to lend a hand, works hard and cares deeply for many. Known to many children (his grandkids or not) as Grandpa Dale. He is the sneaker of snacks, giver of tractor & ranger riders, expert pusher on the swings, and a wonderfully sweet man who we love so much.
Sunday June 3rd while our dad was out working around the farm we noticed significant difficulty with his speaking. This prompted a visit to the ER worried about a stroke. The head CT results showed a large mass (the size of a lemon) in his left parietal lobe. He was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. After the MRI and workup, he had a tough decision ahead of him. The recommendation was a very risky and aggressive debulking surgery, which would likely be followed by chemo and radiation. Due to the location of the masses (the MRI revealed another small mass-the size of a large grape) within the parietal lobe, he had a 30% chance of not being able to speak or walk following surgery.
Friday June 8th. The big day! Our dad decided to go ahead with surgery. He went into surgery around 8am. We waited at the hospital with hourly updates from his Neurosurgery team. His surgery was expected to take 5-6 hours if all went well. When we received our final update earlier than expected around 12:30, we became worried- what did this mean, why was the surgery quicker then planned? We should have known better, our dad is a stubborn old farmer. We were able to go see him in the early afternoon. As we were walking back we could here him talking - - -THE BEST SOUND EVER- - -!
Friday June 15th, we were given the final pathology results. Our dad has a cancerous Grade 4 Glioma, better known as a GBM. This tumor is very aggressive, therefore; it isn't curable but IS treatable. A GBM tumor can be removed with surgery, but it has probably already sent out sneaky little fingers into the healthy brain tissue. Which requires further treatment with 40-60 Gy of daily radiation treatments and Temozolomide (pill-form) chemotherapy. These treatments will make him fatigued and possibly cause some nausea. In addition, there can be some cognitive changes like memory-loss.
As we've been told, researchers are spending a lot of time learning about brain tumors. Our dad will have the opportunity to use a new type of treatment further down the road. It seems very sci-fi! Optune is a electric-field cap worn 18 hours a day. This is so new we had to google-it : Optune by Novacure, if you want to learn more.
He is expected to spend about 10 days at St. Mary's in the rehab unit. During this time he will receive extensive Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy. He will likely need a walker to get around for the time being. He needs our patience as he still has difficulty finding words. Walking and talking are great therapy for him- so keep calling and visiting!
We are expecting his insurance to only pay about 50% of his medical bills, thus far. Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy are long, expensive treatments as well. He appreciates all of the help we have received, whether in the form of visitors, farm help or financial. Please continue to pray for him!
We appreciate anything you can do to help!
~Sarah and Rachel
Organizer and beneficiary
Sarah Hatlevig Deitering
Organizer
Lanesboro, MN
Rachel Rye
Beneficiary